Preview — Who Were the Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From?
by William G. Dever

Who Were the Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From?

This book addresses one of the most timely and urgent topics in archaeology and biblical studies -- the origins of early Israel. For centuries the Western tradition has traced its beginnings back to ancient Israel, but recently some historians and archaeologists have questioned the reality of Israel as it is described in biblical literature. In Who Were the Early IsraeliteThis book addresses one of the most timely and urgent topics in archaeology and biblical studies -- the origins of early Israel. For centuries the Western tradition has traced its beginnings back to ancient Israel, but recently some historians and archaeologists have questioned the reality of Israel as it is described in biblical literature. In Who Were the Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From? William Dever explores the continuing controversies regarding the true nature of ancient Israel and presents the archaeological evidence for assessing the accuracy of the well-known Bible stories.

Confronting the range of current scholarly interpretations seriously and dispassionately, Dever rejects both the revisionists who characterize biblical literature as "pious propaganda" and the conservatives who are afraid to even question its factuality. Attempting to break through this impasse, Dever draws on thirty years of archaeological fieldwork in the Near East, amassing a wide range of hard evidence for his own compelling view of the development of Israelite history.

In his search for the actual circumstances of Israel's emergence in Canaan, Dever reevaluates the Exodus-Conquest traditions in the books of Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, and 1 & 2 Samuel in the light of well-documented archaeological evidence from the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age. Among this important evidence are some 300 small agricultural villages recently discovered in the heartland of what would later become the biblical nation of Israel. According to Dever, the authentic ancestors of the "Israelite peoples" were most likely Canaanites -- together with some pastoral nomads and small groups of Semitic slaves escaping from Egypt -- who, through the long cultural and socioeconomic struggles recounted in the book of Judges, managed to forge a new agrarian, communitarian, and monotheistic society.

Written in an engaging, accessible style and featuring fifty photographs that help bring the archaeological record to life, this book provides an authoritative statement on the origins of ancient Israel and promises to reinvigorate discussion about the historicity of the biblical tradition....more

This book is an adequate survey of the archaeological finds in Israel and the various attempts to reconcile the data with the Biblical Exodus and Conquest narratives, ranging from those who see the Bible as very true and those who see it as very false. Dever's own view is somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. A chapter is devoted to the various out-of-date theories from the early days of biblical archaeology; a few chapters go through the archaeological evidence in somewhat tiring detail; a whole chapter is spent refuting the views of Israel Finkelstein, who has popularized his theory in The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts. The final few chapters cover Dever's own synthesis of the data, and are most interesting in the book. Undoubtedly, his analysis has flaws, but I don't have the background knowledge to point them out in detail.

There are probably better books on biblical archaeology, and there are probably worse. Or perhaps the discipline is not yet ripe enough to produce excellent books intended for a popular audience - there are more artifacts to be unearthed first....more

A number of books on the Hebrew Bible have been published in the 1990s and the 2000s that claim that the early history of the Israelites is a fabrication; The Bible Unearthed by Finkelstein and Silberman is one, but others are much more extreme in their claims. The claims were eagerly picked up by assorted anti-Zionists and Palestinian nationalists; some of the latter claim that Bronze Age Canaanites are their direct ancestors; in 1996 some West Bank Palestinians reenacted a ceremony of worshipiA number of books on the Hebrew Bible have been published in the 1990s and the 2000s that claim that the early history of the Israelites is a fabrication; The Bible Unearthed by Finkelstein and Silberman is one, but others are much more extreme in their claims. The claims were eagerly picked up by assorted anti-Zionists and Palestinian nationalists; some of the latter claim that Bronze Age Canaanites are their direct ancestors; in 1996 some West Bank Palestinians reenacted a ceremony of worshiping the Canaanite god Ba'al. Dever tries to steer a middle course between them and Biblical literalists, but the end result is not substantially different from Finkelstein and Silberman. The Book of Joshua lists 30-some cities destroyed by the Israelite invasion of Canaan; some are unidentified, and of the rest some are unexcavated, but of the 20-some excavated cities, only 2 or 3 could possibly have been destroyed by the Israelites, and could have been destroyed by the Philistines or someone else. The original Israelites seem to have been pastoralists who lived in the hills of modern-day West Bank; an egalitarian peasant society can hold heterodox religious views: look at the Amish of Pennsylvania. However, it is possible that they also assimilated descendants of Semitic slaves who escaped from Egypt, whose tribal epic was the story of Joseph, and whose legendary ancestors were Manasseh and Ephraim. ...more

Using the lack of historical or archaeological evidence of the Exodus, along with the archaeological evidence that over forty of the towns that were supposedly destroyed by the invading Israelites didn’t exist at the end of the Bronze Age, Dever gives an objective and plausible response to that question.

The book is clearly and succinctly written. Starting with the story of the Exodus, to the conquest of Transjordan, to the final takeover of Canaan, the reader is given all the theories and factsUsing the lack of historical or archaeological evidence of the Exodus, along with the archaeological evidence that over forty of the towns that were supposedly destroyed by the invading Israelites didn’t exist at the end of the Bronze Age, Dever gives an objective and plausible response to that question.

The book is clearly and succinctly written. Starting with the story of the Exodus, to the conquest of Transjordan, to the final takeover of Canaan, the reader is given all the theories and facts available. While there’s no way to say with absolute surety that the author’s hypothesis is correct, it comes the closest to being a reasonable and logical explanation of the colonization, or re-colonization, of Canaan.

Recent archaeological evidence for the indigenous origins of the Israelites is overwhelming. So much so, that many Biblical scholars now believe the Exodus story to be an origin myth. The only remaining question is where within Canaan did the Israelites originate....more

William Dever seeks to analyze archaeology of the "Holy Land" from an objective basis. More than other authors on the topic, he seems to succeed in doing so. His analysis of the evidence suggests that the Biblical narrative was written by people who believed what they were writing but embellished certain aspects. However, just because people believed what they were writing doesn't make it true. The Judeo-Christian narrative is encompassed by documents that contain some truths, some probable fabrWilliam Dever seeks to analyze archaeology of the "Holy Land" from an objective basis. More than other authors on the topic, he seems to succeed in doing so. His analysis of the evidence suggests that the Biblical narrative was written by people who believed what they were writing but embellished certain aspects. However, just because people believed what they were writing doesn't make it true. The Judeo-Christian narrative is encompassed by documents that contain some truths, some probable fabrications, some embellishments, and many things that archaeology cannot possibly answer (such as miracles). What archaeology can answer is the probability of whether described historical events actually happened. In some cases the answer is probably so, in many others the answer is almost certainly not. Dever shows in this very well written book that the Bible should be taken at face value: a collection of many written works by superstitious people in the time they were written. Whether or not Judaism and/or Christianity are valid belief systems is not addressed and is not a question of archaeology. The reader can draw their own conclusions on that issue. ...more

William Dever also tends towards the indigenous solution as to who the early Israelites (he calls them 'proto-Israelites) were, but he thinks it more likely that they were Canaanite peasants fleeing the chaos and oppression that marked the end of the Bronze Age to find a new birth of freedom in the highlands, unlike Finkelstein, who believes that they were upland nomads who needed to start growing their own wheat and vegetables because the agricultural system in the coastal plain and valleys colWilliam Dever also tends towards the indigenous solution as to who the early Israelites (he calls them 'proto-Israelites) were, but he thinks it more likely that they were Canaanite peasants fleeing the chaos and oppression that marked the end of the Bronze Age to find a new birth of freedom in the highlands, unlike Finkelstein, who believes that they were upland nomads who needed to start growing their own wheat and vegetables because the agricultural system in the coastal plain and valleys collapsed during that same chaos. Dever is pretty sure that the numbers for Finkelstein's solution don't add up, and that they wouldn't have been able to adapt quickly enough. This makes sense to me but, on the other hand, Dever's scenario would seem to eliminate the tribal aspects of Iron Age I highland society. Oh well. The debate rages on, but Dever writes with verve and panache on this contentious topic....more

Good overview of the disparities between current archaeological perspectives about the early Israelites and the biblical text. While Dever doesn't seem overtly hostile to the biblical narratives, he does not find them supported by archaeology. There's some good review here of the (then) current state of archaeological research in Palestine, though a little too much academic "inside baseball" about various disputes and personalities. It's generally very readable for the non-specialist (like me).Good overview of the disparities between current archaeological perspectives about the early Israelites and the biblical text. While Dever doesn't seem overtly hostile to the biblical narratives, he does not find them supported by archaeology. There's some good review here of the (then) current state of archaeological research in Palestine, though a little too much academic "inside baseball" about various disputes and personalities. It's generally very readable for the non-specialist (like me). I didn't quite finish it, but I'd recommend it. ...more

Extremely well written, well argued, and exciting archaelogical examination of the question, where did the Israelites come from? Does the Bible accurately represent historical reality? Was there an Exodus? Maybe, but not from Egypt. Were there wars against the Canaanites? Nope! Who was Moses?

I enjoy reading historical, archaeological and anthropological treatises and Mr. Dever did a nice job of explaining the background of each assertions he makes, he's very explicit about his reasoning and why he does or does not agree with another author's theories. I also enjoyed getting a look at some of the bickering that seems to go on between disagreeing peers, each profession seems to have their own divas.

The title doesn't leave much room for doubt when it comes to the content of the book. An archaeological survey of what we know about the early Israelites and proposes an interpretation for the data that is highly compelling. Dever also does a good job in providing an overview of competing interpretations and why he disagrees with them. I found this book as it was highly referenced by Karen Armstrong in the Great Transformation (which I loved) and so I was already predisposed to Dever's interpretThe title doesn't leave much room for doubt when it comes to the content of the book. An archaeological survey of what we know about the early Israelites and proposes an interpretation for the data that is highly compelling. Dever also does a good job in providing an overview of competing interpretations and why he disagrees with them. I found this book as it was highly referenced by Karen Armstrong in the Great Transformation (which I loved) and so I was already predisposed to Dever's interpretation....more

The "science" behind determining where the Bible and the "Jews" really came from is only emerging within the last 20 years or so. The results have ramifications that, if understood, would drastically alter the world-view of billions of people. The findings of this body of knowledge are too challenging and too hard to understand, however, and I think it will take a generation or two or three for people to catch up.

This takes a rather academic scholarly historical-critical approach to the of the Biblical narrative upon which the current historiography of the State of Israel is based. One will have to come face to face with the facts and with the fiction in the naked presentation and examination of the empirical evidences and the facts on the ground. One will have to decide whether the truth is better than the fiction.

Very readable comparison of the early books of the Bible to existing archaeological evidence. Many helpful drawings and site and building layout plans. I think this is one of the first studies (if not the first) to forward the idea that the early Israelites might actually have been Canaanites who broke free from their aristocratic rulers to set up for themselves.

Mainly an updated take on archaeological finding and interpretations concerning the origins of Israel. If you're looking for something which confirms the full biblical narrative of the exodus, this wouldn't be the book for you. A good read, though i think the final verdict is still out and we are looking at an incomplete picture.

A very well-balanced and thought-provoking book on the origins of the Israelites. It raises a lot of serious questions to the general way I, and many others, have read the certain parts of the OT, while still being balanced. Dever uses the archaeological data as a primary source to see where it and the Old Testament literature "converge" in order to determine Israelite origins.

Well-written, thoughtful, and respectful study of the origins of the Tanach and the Jewish people. It will NOT be appreciated by fundamentalists and very Orthodox Jews. I found Dever's arguments persuasive.